Honoring Our Disabled Ancestors (Disability Cultural Center)

Join us to honor the lives and legacies of the disabled elders we lost this year — including the recent passing of Alice Wong, disability justice advocate, writer, and founder of the Disability Visibility Project.

We will share short videos, readings, & reflections celebrating their wisdom, leadership, & cultural impact.

This is an open, supportive space for anyone grieving, processing, or wanting to connect with community.

All Are Welcome!

• Drop in any time
• Quiet reflection space available
• Community conversation encouraged

We need more stories about us and our culture… Our wisdom is incisive and unflinching.

— Alice Wong

If you need accommodations, contact Rachel at stewarr@scc.losrios.edu.

Further Info

The disability community has gained another disabled ancestor. Alice Wong, a fierce advocate for disability justice and disability rights, author, and founder of the Disability Visibility Project, passed away at the age of 51 on November 14, 2025. Many of us are grieving heavily, and not just for Alice – within the last few years, we have experienced many losses of our disabled elders in the disability justice and disability rights movement: Stacey Park Milbern, Patty Berne, John Kelly, Ing Wong-Ward, Bill Peace, Carrie Ann Lucas, John Kerr (Sacramento-based disability activist) and so many others that have touched our lives and fought the good fight in one way or another.

Alice’s parting words (below) should stick with us. We need community. We need belonging. We need to continue thriving in the face of ableism and other intersecting forms of oppression. It is our hope that the SCC Disability Cultural Center can accomplish these goals.

Per Alice's wishes, this message was shared at the time of her passing:

Hi everyone, it looks like I ran out of time. I have so many dreams that I wanted to fulfill and plans to create new stories for you. There are a few in progress that might come to fruition in a few years if things work out. I did not ever imagine I would live to this age and end up a writer, editor, activist, and more. As a kid riddled with insecurity and internalized ableism, I could not see a path forward. It was thanks to friendships and some great teachers who believed in me that I was able to fight my way out of miserable situations into a place where I finally felt comfortable in my skin. We need more stories about us and our culture. You all, we all, deserve the everything and more in such a hostile, ableist environment. Our wisdom is incisive and unflinching. I'm honored to be your ancestor and believe disabled oracles like us will light the way to the future. Don't let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.

These are heavy times, in so many different ways. If you are hurting or grieving, support is there for you - you are not alone. Students can connect to SCC Mental Health and Wellness Services, and employees have access to mental health treatment through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).